Page 66 of Don't Call Me Daddy
Of course, Guy and Roman both had similar reasons to say no. Luka was my last hope, and as the most reasonable of all my brothers, I was really counting on him to throw me a fucking bone, but alas, I came off too desperate.
This is bullshit. I’m just going to have to pull it together and power through the night with my tempting-as-fuck fiancée.
A thin sheen of sweat beads at my brow as I weave through the dense, rows of trees. I should get back to camp, make sure Ivy isn’t getting into trouble, but I need to clear my head, and the best place I know to do that is the falls.
When I was younger, I was obsessed with all things outdoors. It’s not surprising. Anyone growing up in Ashford Falls shares the same sentiment. It feels like holy land out here, both frightening and reverent at the same time. We have a healthy respect for these woods, and the falls are no different.
I can hear the pure power of the water flowing as I approach, and my nervous system immediately begins to calm. As far as danger goes, this one lies somewhere in the middle. It’s nothing as powerful as the biggest waterfall, the one our town is known for, but depending on the water levels, it’s dangerous all the same.
For decades, this has been the place for teenagers to gather. We’d come here for everything from graduation parties to firstdates, everyone sharing in the thrill of jumping to the ice-cold water below.
The memory feels like a warm blanket, bringing me back to a time before I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, before I knew the pain of mistakes and the heavy price of penance that comes along with it.
What I would give for another taste of that freedom, to be young and carefree with no ties, no responsibilities weighing me down, driven only by my desires and interests. A strangled laugh bubbles out of me, and I shake my head. Basically, I dream of being like Ivy.
Maybe that’s why I’m so protective of her freedom—because I see that one wrong decision can take it all away in the blink of an eye. I’ll do everything in my power to preserve that because, fuck, if I can’t have it, then I’m so happy she can. I’m happy to survive off the warmth radiating from her even if it’s only temporary.
I wind behind the small cliff, following the beaten path until I’m at the very top of the waterfall. Cupping my hand over my eyes, I scan the clear blue pool of water beneath me, framed with dense green hemlock trees that are just beginning to fade to orange.
“How’d you find me? Do you have some kind of tracker on me I don’t know about?” Ivy holds out her arms and does a little spin as she looks down.
My eyes land on the small wooden box she’s holding. It looks vaguely familiar. I think she was carrying it the first night we met.
I start to ask her what’s in the box, but when she kicks off her shoes and unties the flannel from around her waist, I freeze.
“I was just about to go for a swim. Care to join me?”
She places the box on a rock and quickly covers it with her flannel. Then, to my shock, she pulls the strap of her adult onesieoff her shoulder. The tight fabric clings to her like a wetsuit as she rolls the material down, revealing a thin, strapless bra.
My brain short-circuits at the sight of her exposed tan shoulders, my eyes catching on the curve of her collarbone and the shallow divot between her perky breasts. Fuck, I’ve never wanted to touch someone so badly, to run my palm over her supple skin, to explore every curve and freckle.
I tear my eyes away, blinking several times, and hold my hand out in a pathetic attempt to block her from my view. “What … what are you doing? Stop taking off your clothes. We’re in public. Anyone could see you.”
She makes a show of looking around. “Yeah? Maybe I want them to watch?” She pulls the bodysuit down around her ass, then carefully steps out of it.
I swallow thickly.
“Relax. I just don’t want to get my clothes wet. Your chastity is safe with me. No need to freak out.”
When she turns to add her clothes to the pile, I catch a glimpse of that sweet, round ass, covered in a small triangle of fabric that gets bunched between her cheeks. My dick grows hard at the sight of it, and my palms itch to touch her.
She reaches behind her head and begins to braid her long hair, all while keeping her eyes trained on me, like she knows I’m teetering on the edge of my last ounce of self-control.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I watch her through my lust-filled haze, unable to tear my eyes from her breathtaking body. It’s what dreams are made of, truly. The perfect balance of soft flesh and sculpted muscle. She’s so petite compared to me, and I have the sudden urge to wrap my hands around her hips to show her all the things I fantasize about doing to her.
“Sure,” is all I can manage.
“Why won’t you let yourself have me? It’s like you’re punishing yourself or something.” She pulls the hair tie from her wrist and secures it on the end of her braid, then moves toward me. “I see the way you look at me. That fire burning behind your eyes. The glances you sneak when you think no one is looking.”
She places a hand on my chest, over my rapidly beating heart, and I grit my teeth.
“You want me, Leo. And I want you too. So, why are we pretending like we don’t? Why do you feel like you always need to be in control when all I want is for you to let loose and show me the real you?”
She trails her hand down my abs until she reaches the hem of my T-shirt.
“Ivy,” I warn, but she doesn’t relent as she moves her hand over my rib cage and back down, like she’s trying to memorize my form with her hands.
